I ask because I've seen definitions of this word that include things like "trust," "commitment," and "confidence," and none of those ideas seem a necessary part of the English word to me.

(I mean, as an English speaker, I could say that I believe it's gonna rain tomorrow without implying that I was particularly confident it would rain--couldn't I?)

So does this word "Pisteuo" (in and of itself) convey the idea of trust, confidence, or certainty?

You can always look the words up in a good Greek lexicon. You should invest in BDAG, and the LSJ is free online. To paraphrase one of my professors from grad school, when asked about the meaning of a Greek word, "It means πιστεύω." By that he meant that you have to know what the word means in Greek without "englishing" it. From BDAG:

I ask because I've seen definitions of this word that include things like "trust," "commitment," and "confidence," and none of those ideas seem a necessary part of the English word to me.

(I mean, as an English speaker, I could say that I believe it's gonna rain tomorrow without implying that I was particularly confident it would rain--couldn't I?)

So does this word "Pisteuo" (in and of itself) convey the idea of trust, confidence, or certainty?

English usage tends to be a bit sloppy with regard to "believe".We often use "believe" when it would be more correct to say "assume", "suppose" - for which Greek might use δοκεω. πιστευω - which generally takes a Dative - tends to have the connotation "believe in", "trust in"

I ask because I've seen definitions of this word that include things like "trust," "commitment," and "confidence," and none of those ideas seem a necessary part of the English word to me.

(I mean, as an English speaker, I could say that I believe it's gonna rain tomorrow without implying that I was particularly confident it would rain--couldn't I?)

So does this word "Pisteuo" (in and of itself) convey the idea of trust, confidence, or certainty?

English usage tends to be a bit sloppy with regard to "believe".We often use "believe" when it would be more correct to say "assume", "suppose" - for which Greek might use δοκεω. πιστευω - which generally takes a Dative - tends to have the connotation "believe in", "trust in"

Mike, your question about πιστευω seems to reflect the supposition (not necessarily on your part) that Greek words are somehow more meaningful than English words, or certainly more precise. Thus, if only we could know what "The Greek" says, we could dispense with all the ambiguity of a translation and attain a precise, exact understanding of the meaning of a passage of Scripture.

But Greek is just like any other language in this respect. Words have ranges of meaning, not just one simple sense. In the case of πιστευω, sometimes it can simply mean 'to consider something factual,' like when Paul tells the Corinthians he's heard rumors about their factionalism and μερος τι πιστευω, 'I partly believe it.' Other times it describes a fundamental entrusting of oneself to a greater reality, such as when John says he wrote his gospel ινα πιστευσητε οτι ιησους εστιν ο χριστος ο υιος του θεου και ινα πιστευοντες ζωην εχητε εν τω ονοματι αυτου, 'so you can believe that Jesus is the anointed one, the Son of God, and so by believing you can possess life in his name.' The meanings of πιστευω in these two contexts are worlds apart.

timothy_p_mcmahon wrote:Mike, your question about πιστευω seems to reflect the supposition (not necessarily on your part) that Greek words are somehow more meaningful than English words, or certainly more precise. Thus, if only we could know what "The Greek" says, we could dispense with all the ambiguity of a translation and attain a precise, exact understanding of the meaning of a passage of Scripture.

But Greek is just like any other language in this respect. Words have ranges of meaning, not just one simple sense. In the case of πιστευω, sometimes it can simply mean 'to consider something factual,' like when Paul tells the Corinthians he's heard rumors about their factionalism and μερος τι πιστευω, 'I partly believe it.' Other times it describes a fundamental entrusting of oneself to a greater reality, such as when John says he wrote his gospel ινα πιστευσητε οτι ιησους εστιν ο χριστος ο υιος του θεου και ινα πιστευοντες ζωην εχητε εν τω ονοματι αυτου, 'so you can believe that Jesus is the anointed one, the Son of God, and so by believing you can possess life in his name.' The meanings of πιστευω in these two contexts are worlds apart.